My Old Friend Tess
by crazytomboy78
Summary: Pepper's best friend Tess from her old town in West Virginia comes for a visit and wants to meet all of Pepper's new friends. Will they mix well, or will things go terribly wrong? Pepperony, and two OC's! XD
1. Here Comes Tess!

**Gahh! I'm posting again! When I should be updating….sorry, I just got this great idea! And this time it's so totally NOT a one-shot. But it's really cute and cool :D in other news, it's going to be my first full year on fanfiction on October 6****th****! And then a month after that is my bday XD isn't that awesome? IKR? My one-year anniversary. Or, whatever I should call it. I think I've been reading longer than that, by like a day or two maybe, but I'm not sure. All I know is that I posted my first story on that day so it's my first year in about a month! XD**

Pepper was sitting on her bed, doodling in her diary when her phone rang. She picked it up and answered it, hoping it was Tony (because she loved it when he talked to her without her calling first). But it wasn't. It was her old friend from her old town, Tess McDermott.

"Patricia Potts you will not believe what my mom just said!" Tess squealed. Pepper and her dad used to live in a small town in West Virginia, until her dad got a job transfer in NYC. Back in West Virginia, she didn't really have a nickname. True, some people called her Trisha or Patty, which she didn't like at all.

"What did she say, Tess?" Pepper asked.

"She said that since its spring break for both me and you, she was going to arrange for me to go VISIT YOU!" Tess said excitedly. Pepper dropped her diary to her lap and squealed with joy.

"Oh, Tess that's so awesome! I can't wait to see you! I can't wait for you to meet my new friends!" Then Pepper pictured Tess meeting Tony. Oh, boy.

"I know, right? It's going to be sooo exciting!" Tess said.

"Yeah…so when are you coming?" Pepper asked, not as happy now. Tess could whip up a basket case of drama in an instant if she wanted to.

"Tomorrow!" I wanted to surprise you but my mom said to call ahead, so I did." Tess explained.

"That's awesome!" Pepper said. She ignored her worries of Tess ruining things around her school, and was happy that she got to see her best friend again.

"Well, I gotta go pack some more. Chaio!" Tess said happily, then hung up. Pepper put her phone back in her shoulder bag and went downstairs.

"Hey, good news dad!" Pepper said when she got downstairs.

"What's up, sweetie?" Her father asked.

"Tess and her mom are visiting tomorrow!" Pepper announced.

"Really? That's great." Her father said.

"Not completely. Just wait until she meets Tony…she's going to flip over him." Pepper said.

"Aww, come on. It can't possibly be that bad."

"Dad, Tony's got like, continental fame! Everyone in the country knows him, he's famous and rich! It's going to be, _that. bad._" Pepper complained.

"I guarantee you it'll all be fine." Virgil comforted.

"Well I'm going over to Tony's. Be back later." Pepper said. She walked out the front door and over to the armory. Tony was working on his armor, as usual; and Rhodey was watching and talking.

"So you wouldn't believe what just happened to me, my old best friend from West Virginia is visiting me tomorrow and I haven't seen her in like, two years can you believe that? It's so…" Pepper stopped herself from saying 'disastrous,' because then Tony would ask why and she was NOT going to dive into that. "Totally awesome!" Pepper said.

"That's cool." Rhodey said.

"Who's she?" Tony asked, referring to Pepper's friend.

"Tony, I've told you about her before! Tess, remember?" Pepper said.

"Oh, you mean that girl that texted you, and when I asked who it was you told me your whole life story." Tony said. Pepper rolled her eyes at his witty comment.

"Yeah, her. She's going to be here tomorrow, I'm so excited!" Pepper said.

"Well I have to go get some components from a storage room in the back." Tony said, then walked past the room where he had the war machine armor and the Panther into a room where he stored extra pieces and parts for later uses.

"Rhodey, I've got a problem. Tess, when she comes I know she'll be all over Tony, I just know it!" Pepper complained once Tony was out of earshot.

"Pepper, relax. Tony's too arrogant to care." Rhodey said.

"Well still! You know how I feel," Pepper looked back to see if Tony had returned yet, and seeing that he didn't, she looked back to Rhodey. "And she could easily ruin everything!" Pepper complained. Then Tony came back.

"Ruin what?" he asked.

"O-oh, I was just talking about h-how…my…dad…ruined…Blue's Clues for me! Yeah….he totally ruined it for me." Pepper quickly made up a lie.

"That's a kid's show…" Tony said.

"Shyah, a cool one! Until my dad went and ruined it for me!" Pepper said. Tony rolled his eyes and went back to his work.

"Pepper, I suggest you chill out and enjoy your friend's visit. You won't get many more chances to see her, you know." Rhodey whispered so that Tony wouldn't hear.

"I guess you're right." Pepper said.

"When am I not?" Rhodey bragged, still whispering.

~…~ _the next day…._** (A/N: shyah, I did just say that. dealll XD)**

Pepper felt the sun shine onto her face as she sat up in her bed, stretched her arms and yawned. She got out of bed and went downstairs for breakfast. After a bowl of fruity puffs and two hours of television, the doorbell rang.

"Can you get that, sweetie? I'm getting in the shower." Pepper's father asked.

"Yeah." Pepper went to the door, and opened it as she yawned.

"Hi Pepper!" A shrill and excited girl's voice rang. Pepper was shocked out of her morning laziness.

"Tess! Hey!" Pepper gave Tess a hug, as well as one to Tess' mom standing behind her.

"Come in, guys! Here, let me take your bags. Tess, you're sleeping with me in my room and Mrs. McDermott, you can sleep in the guest room. It's down the hall from mine." Pepper took their bags, tossed Mrs. McDermott's into the guest room and Tess' into her own room.

"My dad is taking a quick shower, do you want some coffee?" Pepper asked Mrs. McDermott.

"Sure, thank you." Mrs. McDermott and Tess tossed their coats onto the coat rack and sat at the table right outside the kitchen.

"So, how come you guys are here so early?" Pepper asked as she poured a cup of coffee.

"Well, the only flight open was a 9:00. So we took it to surprise you!" Mrs. McDermott explained.

"Oh, that's great!" Pepper handed the coffee mug to Mrs. McDermott and sat down at the table. They talked for ten minutes, then Pepper's dad came into the kitchen and said hello.

"Tess, I have GOT to show you around town!" Pepper said.

"I can't wait! I've never been to NYC before!" Tess said.

"Here, come with me to my room." So they went to her room.

"Ooooh, Trishie's diary!" Tess noticed it sitting on Pepper's bed and reached out to grab it. Pepper immediately grabbed it before Tess could.

"NO! Don't read that!" Pepper shoved it into her drawer and locked the drawer. She hid the key underneath her computer keyboard.

"Aww, come on Pepper! Why not? We do that all the time!" Tess whined.

"Because….there are just a bunch of stupid doodles in it. It's boring, really." True, it did have doodles in it more than words, but they were all about Tony and Iron Man. And she couldn't have Tess reading that.

"Fine, fine. I won't read." Tess pouted.

"Well, you can unpack your stuff into that drawer if you want to while I go take a shower quickly." Pepper said as she read a text from Tony. He wanted her to meet him at the factory. She smiled and replied back that she and Tess would be there soon.

"Okay." Tess started to unpack and Pepper showered.

After ten minutes, Tess was trying to break into the drawer containing Pepper's diary, because she hadn't seen where Pepper hid the key, and Pepper came back from her shower dressed and ready to go.

"Alright, let's go!" Pepper announced as she walked back into the room. Tess quickly put the scissors back on Pepper's desk and smiled innocently. Pepper rolled her eyes and walked out with Tess.

"We're going out, be back later dad!" Pepper called into the house.

"Alright, be back in time for dinner!" Pepper's dad called back.

"No way, your dad lets you roam the streets of New York alone?" Tess asked.

"Well, he and I both know where we're going and we know our way around town so yeah." Pepper explained.

"Where are we going?" Tess asked.

"Well, we're going to hang out with my friends. You'll love them…." Pepper said. _A little too much._ She thought to herself.

"Awesome!" Tess said. Pepper made an annoyed face. She could tell already Tess was going to freak when she saw Tony.

Once they got outside the factory, Pepper led Tess up all the staircases they had to go through to get to Tony and Rhodey.

"Pepper, are you sure we should be in here?" Tess asked, nervous.

"Tess, chill. We go here all the time. It's perfectly fine." Pepper assured her. Then they came to three chairs and a tiny TV set. Tess stopped and took it all in. Then a boy with messy brown hair and blue eyes came from around a corner holding some sort of fancy cell phone. Tess grabbed Pepper's arm and dragged her over.

"_That's_ your friend? That's Tony Stark! You're best friends with a famous rich kid, Pepper you're amazing!" Tess said, whispering so Tony and the boy following him wouldn't hear.

"Tess, he's just Tony. Relax." Pepper tried to calm her down.

"OH MY GOD you like him. You like him, don't you?" Tess knew by the way Pepper had been all chill about it.

"What? Tess that is ridiculous, we're just friends. I do NOT like him like that." Pepper lied and looked over to see Tony sit down in one of the chairs and the colored boy sit in the one next to him.

"You do. You really like him." Tess said.

"Tess, I do not!" Pepper defended.

"I saw the way you were looking at him, Trishie. You like him!"

"Do not."

"Do too!"

"Do not."

"Do too."

"Hey, Pepper!" Tony saw her talking. Pepper turned around quickly, smiled and came over to the empty chair.

"Hey, guys. This is Tess." Pepper pointed to Tess.

"Hey." Tony said as he smiled politely and waved. Tess giggled.

"Hi." She smiled and gave Pepper a 'you so do too.' Look.

**Well, that's the first chapter for you! It's quite funny XD ahh, im beginning to love this one. Review!**


	2. I Know You Like Him

**Hey! I've decided that if I continue Accidents Happen, it'll be a sequel but idk if I will or not. I'm leaning more towards yes, though. I have a good idea for it. But for now, let's stick to this storyyy.**

As Pepper and Tess walked out of the factory when Tony and Rhodey got called inside for the night, Tess exploded with excitement.

"Oh, my, gosh, Pepper you _CANNOT _stand there and tell me you don't like him. You so totally do, I saw the way you automatically snapped to his attention back there. And furthermore, how did you manage to become best friends with _Tony Stark?_ He's a freaking celebrity for goodness sakes! And OH GOODNESS, I think he likes you back Pepper you are _SO SO SO SO SOOOOO __**INCREDIBLY **_lucky!" Tess said excitedly. Pepper blushed.

"Tess, Tony and I are just friends, okay? We met on his first day at the Tomorrow Academy, if you really wanted to know." Pepper explained.

"OOOOOH, tell me ALL about that day, I want to test how romantic it totally was!" Tess smiled. Pepper sighed.

"Tess, it wasn't very romantic at all. He was on the roof staring at Stark International and didn't realize I'd come up there. When I got up there I'd remembered reading his file on my dad's computer and I told him a little about himself. Then introduced myself and walked away." Pepper explained.

"There could be a sign in that too. What did he do?" Tess asked.

"Well, first he didn't respond then he turned and asked me how I knew all that. So I explained and then walked away. He just stared for some reason like he'd made some sort of a breakthrough or something." Pepper explained further.

"OOOOOOHHHH, he was intrigued by you! He knew he liked you from the moment he first saw you." Tess said.

"Tess, that is not true." Pepper wanted to believe it, but couldn't imagine such a thing happening to a guy like Tony.

"Whatever. You may be able to lie to yourself but you sure as heck can't lie to me." **(A/N: that just made me realize, how can we be 'sure as hell' if we're not sure hell exists? Interesting.) **They reached the front door of Pepper's house and walked inside.

"Hey, girls! How was your day?" Pepper's dad asked. **(A/N: too many authors notes in one area, but for goodness sakes, I've got to give this dude a name in this story. I'm going to stick with Virgil because that's what I've heard his name is in comics and other places. So yah…pepper's dad's name is Virgil in this story.) **

"Good, Mr. Potts! Pepper showed me EVERYTHING and then we went to meet her friends and they are SOOOO cool! It's so much fun here I wish we'd move here too!" Tess explained. Virgil laughed.

"Do you gals want some dinner?" Virgil asked. Tess and Pepper exchanged 'sure. Why not?' glances.

"Yeah, what did you make?" Pepper asked.

"Steak." Virgil explained.

"MMM. I'll take some. Tess?" Pepper asked.

"Yes, that sounds good!" Tess exclaimed.

"Alrighty, I'll warm it up for you." Virgil said as he got out of his seat on the couch and walked into the kitchen. Pepper got two plates, two forks, two knives, two napkins and two cups. She set the table for her and Tess.

"What do you want to drink? We have milk, chocolate milk, juice and soda." Pepper asked.

"What kind of soda?" Tess asked.

"Sprite." Pepper explained.

"I'll take some." Tess said.

"Alrighty, me too." Pepper poured the soda into both cups then put the bottle back into the fridge. She handed Tess her cup and set her own down by her plate.

"Two juicy steaks, served fresh out of the microwave." Virgil set the steaks on their plates and the girls began to eat.

About a half hour later, they were done and Pepper cleaned up.

"How was it?" Virgil asked.

"Real good, Mr. Potts!" Tess answered.

"Well, that's good. But it's getting late and I have work early tomorrow so I'm afraid I'll have to be off to bed. Goodnight girls!" Virgil explained as he walked into his bedroom and closed his door then locked it.

"Oh, and Pepper? Make sure the girls get to their rooms and whatever else they need OK." Virgil called from his bedroom.

"Alright, dad." Pepper called back.

"So, Mrs. McDermott, do you want to stay up and watch a movie with us or are you going to hit the sack too?" Pepper asked.

"Oh, honey I'm tired. It's been a long day, I think I'll turn in as well." Mrs. McDermott answered.

"Alright, I'll show you to the guest room." Pepper led her up the stairs and to the guest room.

"The bathroom is down the hall to the right, next to my room. I've already got one of the beds made for you, but if you want extra blankets the closet is right outside the room." Pepper explained.

"Thank you, dear." Mrs. McDermott opened her suitcase.

"No problem! Tess and I will be downstairs watching a movie if you need anything; but we can't bother my dad while he's sleeping or he'll get real mad. And if he leaves in the middle of the night, don't worry; it probably means he got called into work." Pepper explained further.

"Alright, deary. Thank you." Mrs. McDermott smiled.

"Welcome." Pepper said as she walked back downstairs.

"Alright, pick a movie. Our selections are in the cabinet below the TV." Pepper explained. Tess got up from the couch and looked through the movies while Pepper went to the kitchen and started making popcorn.

"OOH, I LOVE this movie!" Tess called.

"Which one?" Pepper asked from the kitchen.

"Octavio's Secret. That one about the girl who starts dating this guy without knowing he's a criminal mastermind but then when she finds out she starts to try and change his ways because she'd found out she's in love with him?" Tess explained. **(A/N: not a real movie. I just made it up because I didn't want to use any real titles at risk of copyright stuff.) **

"Oh, I love that movie!" Pepper exclaimed.

"Well how do I put it in? Where's your DVD player?" Tess asked.

"Hang on, I'll do it." Pepper finished pouring the popcorn into the bowl and set it on the coffee table by the TV. She grabbed the disk from Tess and opened the cabinet door opposite the DVD player door and hit the 'open/close' button. The disk drive slid out and Pepper put the disk in. She looked at the number she put it in, 4, and hit the button labeled '4' on the DVD player. The previews began to play.

"I love to watch previews. They're so fun." Tess said as she and Pepper sat down on the couch and started eating the popcorn.

"I know, right? They're like a mini movie before the movie you were planning to watch." Pepper said.

About two hours later, the movie was over and it was just about 9'o clock. Pepper turned off the TV and they went up to her room.

"So, Pepper, please be honest with me. Dig deep inside yourself, think hard about this. Do you really like Tony? You know, _like _like him?" Tess asked as they sat on Pepper's bed criss-cross-apple-sauce. **(A/N: or at least that's what my elementary school teacher called it in like, first grade.) **Pepper was silent for a moment. Then she sighed.

"Yes, I do." Pepper said.

"I knew it!" Tess bragged, but then realized that this was probably the first time she'd accepted that as a fact and this was a serious moment.

"It's okay to like someone, Pepper; it happens to almost everyone." Tess said.

"Almost?" Pepper asked.

"It didn't happen to me yet." Tess explained. Pepper nodded.

"I know its okay to like him, but in Whitney Stane's eyes it's not! She purely hates me." Pepper explained.

"Whitney Stane, as in the daughter of Obadiah Stane, heiress to his fortune and rich, stuck up snob?" Tess asked.

"Yep. That's the one." Pepper said.

"Why would she hate you? How would she even know you?" Tess asked.

"She enrolled at the Tomorrow Academy to be closer to Tony. She saw me and automatically hated me. But she's always ALL OVER Tony, being all flirty and disgusting. I hate it. What's worse is Tony doesn't do a thing about it!" Pepper complained.

"Pepper, you're jealous of Tony and Whitney! You're jealous that she can have him wrapped around her finger and she can steal him away from you." Tess explained.

"I am not jealous!" Pepper defended.

"You're also in denial." Tess said.

"I'm not in denial and I'm not jealous!" Pepper said. Tess gave her a 'really, pepper? You're not?' look. Pepper sighed.

"Alright, so I'm a little jealous. But why wouldn't I be when Whitney is always calling me Tony's 'pet' and his 'groupie'? I mean, what have I ever done to her to make her hate me? I never said two words to the girl. Only _about _her to myself when she was standing next to me." Pepper rambled.

"Pepper, it's okay." Tess said.

"How is it okay?" Pepper asked, "I'm losing Tony to Whitney." Pepper said.

"Because I know how you can get to him before she does!" Tess exclaimed.

**CLIFFHANGER! DAH DAH DAAAAAAAAH! Lawlzzzz. Awesome chappaaaa, seems a little short to me though. Maybe because it was fun to write….hmmm. well, anyways, unlike I wanted to, I can't update tomorrow because I've got a band competition. I HOPES WE WINN! Lol, review!**


	3. Tess' Plan

**Heyyy pplzzzz…I haven't updated since, like, foreverrrrrr! Pahaah. I kept the idea for this chapter for sooo long! Hah, sorrrryy….**

"Tess, are you insane?" Pepper almost yelled.

"Woah, Pepper, calm down! I'm completely sane!" Tess defended herself.

"Well I am most certainly not going to say that!" Pepper said. Tess gave her a 'come on, now, Pepper.' Look.

"Pepper, do you want to lose the love of your life to a stuck up snob like Whitney? And if not to Whitney, to anyone else available to him? I mean, really." Tess said.

"That's true. But I can't just go up to him and say 'hey, I know were close friends and all but I love you Tony!' Seriously, Tess!" Pepper said. Tess thought for a moment.

"I suppose that's true…" Tess said, "Or, how about we make _him_, come to _you_?" Tess smiled deviously.

"And just how would we do that?" Pepper asked, uncertain she would like this new plan.

"Easy…we've got to make you look H-O-T _hot_!" Tess explained. Pepper's eyes grew wide.

"Hot like…short skirts, revealing shirts and heavy makeup?" Pepper asked, worried.

"No! We can make you look hot without making you look like a slut." Tess said.

"I can't wait to see how…" Pepper said sarcastically.

_**Half an hour later…**_

Pepper and Tess arrived at the mall, Tess keeping a sharp lookout for good stores. She spotted one and grabbed Pepper's wrist and led her into the store.

"Now, one way to make you look good is to wear more girly and appealing clothing. Because right now your outfit is saying about you that you're unappealing, uninterested and boring," Tess said, and held up a brighter pink wool top, "but if you wear something like this, it'll tell boys that you're totally interested, looking and single, and totally un-boring." Tess said. Pepper frowned upon the idea. She didn't want to randomly change her dressing style, but if it was to impress Tony then she would make herself get used to it.

"And it would look great with some jeans or your leggings." Tess added. Pepper looked down at her black leggings.

"What would also go well with your leggings would be something like this," Tess held up a long pink hoodie, also made of wool, with a large pocket and hood on the back that reached three inches above her knees.

"Something like this would say 'I like to be comfortable, I'm looking for that special someone, and I'm oh so sweet and innocent.' Which is probably more along the lines of what you would want." Tess explained.

"Yeah, that is better." Pepper said. Tess nodded and slung the top over the pink wool top and shoved them into Pepper's arms. Pepper took them to the changing room. She tried on the plain sweater first, and stepped out of the changing room to show Tess.

"That does look good on you. Try on the other one." Tess said. Pepper rolled her eyes, sighed and went back into the dressing room.

This time she stepped out with the wool hoodie and leggings to show Tess. Tess smiled widely.

"That looks absolutely terrific and perfect and amazing on you! When Tony sees you like this he's going to be so totally into you!" Tess said. Pepper smiled.

"You really think so?" Pepper asked with hope. Tess nodded. Pepper went back into the changing room and got back into her regular clothes. They bought the clothes with Pepper's allowance and left the store.

"Now what's next is those shoes. They're almost army boots. That's so tomboy, that's saying you're not interested in dating and you don't want to be. We've got to change that." Tess said. Pepper looked down at her comfortable converse sneakers.

"But, not my shoes!" Pepper begged.

"Yes, your shoes. Pepper, if you want to impress that boy, you'll lose the sneaks." Tess said. They walked into a shoe store and started looking around.

"Now, a pair like these," Tess held up a pair of fake-fur boots, "would go well with the hoodie." Tess put them back on the shelf and picked up a pair of flip-flops.

"A pair like these would go better with either top," Tess put them back on the shelf and held up a pair of high heels, "And these would be better with the sweater." Tess explained.

"Which pair of shoes do you prefer?" Tess asked.

"The boots, they're closest to my shoes." Pepper said sadly. She hated to have to lose her comfortable, signature Pepper apparel boots, but if it was for the good of Tony's interest in her, she'd learn to deal.

"Good girl, sacrificing your converses for a boy! I'm proud of you!" Tess smiled and patted the top of Pepper's head. Pepper frowned and they bought the sneakers.

After they were done shopping, they went home and Pepper put the new clothing and shoes in her closet. Pepper's dad called them down for lunch just a moment later, so they went downstairs and ate homemade Mac and Cheese.

_Hey, are you meeting us at the lab today? _Tony texted Pepper. Pepper left her spoon in her mouth while she sent a reply.

_Sure, Tess and I will be down after were finished eating. _Pepper continued chewing her food.

_Oh, you're eating right now? Sorry, I just couldn't resist talking to you (;_ Tony said. Pepper almost squealed, but covered her mouth and showed Tess the message. She smiled.

"See? He's interested!" Tess smiled. Pepper smiled wider.

"I sure hope so!" Pepper said. They finished their food and rinsed their bowls in the sink.

"Well, Pepper, it's time to impress a boy!" Tess said as they went back to Pepper's bedroom.

**Short chapter, I know. But I had to update cuz it was getting looong since my last one and I had to finish soon cuz I has to go to bedddd. The next chappah will be longer, promises! Review!**


	4. Alone With You

**Hey peopleeee! It's been too long, sorry! My internet connection is being really annoying lately -.- but anyways, I've got time now so I'm just gonna update IMAA tonighttt. **

"Tess, I'm kind of nervous about this…what would I say when he asks why I've changed my wardrobe? 'Oh, yeah this, I just decided to throw it on to impress you!' Yeah, that'll go well." Pepper said, getting skeptical.

"Just say something like all your clothes were dirty and this was the only thing in your closet. He'll just shrug it off." Pepper gave her a look.

"What?"

"If he'll just 'shrug it off' what's the use in dressing differently?" Pepper asked, annoyed.

"Oh, no no no no, he'll understand why you have a different outfit on. He'll notice the difference and feel more….attracted, to you." Tess explained. Pepper nodded in understanding. They arrived at the door to the old factory they always spent time in.

"Well, here we go! Your first attempt to impress a boy!" Tess said before they entered.

"Well, not my _first…._there was that time where we were fl-" Pepper stopped herself from finishing the word _flying_; because then she'd suspect something, which would not be good.

"When you were what?" Tess asked. Pepper was silent in thought for a moment.

"When we were fl…..ying an airplane! Yeah, that's it. We were in a plane." Pepper lied.

"So what happened?" Tess asked.

"What happened? Hmm, what happened….we, uhh….we were…" Pepper looked for another lie, "I…fell, asleep, on his lap...on purpose, because, I knew I was…getting tired. Yeah, tired." Pepper said slowly; as she had been making up each word as she went along.

"Aww, how cute!" Tess said as she swung the door open and walked into the factory.

"Yeah, it was adorable…" Pepper looked away to hide her saddened expression from her clueless friend. It was the first time she'd had to lie to her. They approached the three chairs, one of which were being occupied by Tony. Pepper stole one away while Tess took the third and final seat. Tony was too busy flipping through god knows what on his pod, and Rhodey wasn't present at the moment.

"Hey guys." Pepper greeted.

"Hey-" Tony stopped short when he saw his female friend's sudden change in wardrobe. It actually made her look…good.

"Wow, uhh…y-you look...nice, Pepper." Tony had a light blush upon his cheeks. Inside Pepper squealed with joy; on the outside she remained perfectly calm and smiled politely.

"Wow, you really think so? I hate this itchy thing, it was in the back of my closet and I didn't have anything else to wear because all my clothes are being washed right now and my grandma gave this to me…" Pepper trailed off. Not _all _of that run-on sentence was a lie; it _was _a little itchy and it _was_ something she didn't want to be wearing.

"Well your grandma has good taste." Tony muttered, just enough so Pepper understood.

"Thanks." Pepper smiled politely again. Then Tess got a text on her cell.

"Oh, I totally forgot about that!" Tess thought out loud.

"About what?" Pepper asked.

"My mom and I are going to use today as a vacation day and we're going to explore the city and later tonight we're going to Broadway to see a play." Tess explained. Pepper nodded.

"Cool! It should be fun for you and your mom to have that time together." Pepper said.

"Yeah, it will! But I have to go meet her now! I'll see you later Pepper, bye Tony Stark!" Tess said as she walked out. Pepper rolled her eyes at her friend's inability to call Tony by his first name.

"So, where's Rhodey?" Pepper asked.

"Back at his house helping his mom move some stuff to the attic. He said he wouldn't be done till later." Tony explained.

"Oh. Cool." Pepper said. There was an awkward silence about the room now. It seemed to last forever. Tony would not speak, as he was busy in his work and did not know what to say. Pepper didn't know what to do.

_So how's it going? _Tess texted Pepper.

_Not so good…awkward silence ): _Pepper replied.

_Well say something, then! Jeez, you guys are terrible at hooking up…_

_Well, I've never had a boyfriend before and I'm nervous! _

"Sooo…uhh, how's your…t-thing, going?" Tony asked.

"What thing?" Pepper asked.

"Umm…I don't really know. I was just trying to find conversation." Tony said. Pepper nodded and giggled.

"You and your terrible excuses." Pepper teased.

"Hey! That wasn't an excuse, and since when have I had bad excuses?" Tony defended as he turned to face her.

"Gee, I don't know! 'It's just that…I miss my dad and…' fake sob! That was pathetic." Pepper said.

"So one bad excuse. I had to make up a lie as quick as I could." Tony said.

"Still, even Gene knows you're a really bad liar." Pepper smirked.

"What would I be lying about this time?" Tony asked.

"You just like to talk to me." Pepper smiled.

"So what if I do? That's why we're friends." Tony smiled as he talked. Pepper swooned in her own mind at how cute he looked when he smiled. On the outside she blushed.

Tony put down his welding torch. "You know, I never noticed how pretty that shirt makes you look." Tony said. He walked closer to her.

"Oh….t-thanks…" Pepper said nervously.

"No prob…" Tony was inches from her lips. Then the door opened.

"Hey guys." Rhodey said. Tony rushed back to his suit and worked on it intently.

"Did I miss something?" Rhodey felt the awkwardness in the room.

"Nah." Pepper said. Rhodey shrugged.

**Short short chapter. Ik…sorry! All I really got for tonight. But I probably can't update until Monday next week, cuz of weekend stuff. Revieww!**


	5. So What Happened?

**Updating: night two. I was going to start earlier, but when I got to YouTube to pick out some music, I saw a cheat for different-gender twins on the Sims 3. I just **_**had **_**to try it. Haha, it worked! Anyways, let's see where this story goes this chapter. Some great awesome chapter it should be!**

"So, Pepper, how'd it go?" Tess asked once they were settled in Pepper's room, PJs and all.

"Well, it was going really well…until Rhodey came in." Pepper said.

"What? What happened?" Tess asked.

"Well, we started to talk and he complimented my clothes and he was just this close," Pepper held her pointer finger and thumb a millimeter apart, "to kissing me. That's when Rhodey came in and Tony started working on his stuff again." Pepper explained.

"_Ugh! _I'm going to KILL that boy. Doesn't he have any idea what he's ruined by coming in at that moment?" Tess complained.

"Well, maybe it was a good thing. Maybe it was too soon for Tony and I to be doing something like that. It could've ruined our friendship." Pepper tried to be optimistic; but it was hard. He was _so close _to her lips…

_No! Forget about that moment completely…_Pepper scolded herself. The more she forgot about it, the less sad she became.

"Maybe, maybe not. But bottom line is HE RUINED EVERYTHING!" Tess said.

"Tess, Rhodey didn't ruin everything. I'm perfectly fine with waiting until the right moment, when we're both ready for that." Pepper said. Tess sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Whatever, that's your choice; nothing I can do…" Tess moved on to a different subject.

~…~

"Dude, what was up with you and Pepper today?" Rhodey asked as he watched Tony work intensely on his armor.

"It was nothing. We were just talking." Tony said. And it wasn't a complete lie; they _had _been talking.

"Yeah, but it felt awkward once I walked in. I could _feel _it, man." Rhodey said. Tony shrugged.

"I didn't notice anything awkward." Tony said.

"Sure you didn't…and why was she dressed so differently?" Rhodey asked out of curiosity.

"I-I don't know. She told me that she didn't have anything else or something like that. She was rambling again so I was only half-listening." Tony said. Rhodey shrugged and noticed a slight blush on Tony's cheeks. He smirked to himself.

"Do you like her or something?" Rhodey asked. Tony's eyes widened a bit and he froze. Where had that come from?

"W-well, she's my friend, right? So I have to like her." Tony pretended to not understand the question correctly.

"No, I mean do you _like her _like her?" Rhodey clarified.

"O-oh, that like…I…well, you see…it's just that….I wouldn't say I…" Tony didn't really know how to answer. He knew he _did, _maybe, sort of, a little, kind of like her. Rhodey smiled.

"Dude, you so do, don't you?" Rhodey could read it in his expression that he was trying to admit to a yes.

"Maybe…" Tony went back to his work.

~…~

The next morning, Tony woke on his bed with his own words still ringing in his head. _Maybe…._he tried to ignore it as he went to eat his breakfast. Rhodey was already eating.

"Sleep well last night?" Roberta asked from the kitchen counter.

"Yeah." Tony mumbled tiredly. Tony poured himself a bowl of cereal and sat himself next to Rhodey. He couldn't think of anything to talk about, his mind was so full of thoughts. Did he really admit to liking his friend? He knew that it was just fine if he did, but he thought of what toll that would take on their friendship if he just randomly asked her if she likes him and she says no. It could hurt him emotionally, and that was not something he wanted to pile on top of everything that had already happened so far with the Gene and the temple of sacrifice, and his dad being alive but kidnapped. It would send him spiraling into a state of grief; and he didn't want to go through _that _again. He was already getting a bit quieter lately because of the initial shock he was still experiencing with knowing his dad is alive.

Tony finished his breakfast and placed his bowl in the sink. He went upstairs to shower.

~…~

Pepper had woken at about noon to Tess blasting her favorite song in Pepper's ear in order to wake her up. Pepper grimaced and shoved the phone out of her face.

"Tess, that's not my favorite way to be woken up!" Pepper complained.

"Yeah, but it's noon, your phone went off like a half an hour ago and I was getting bored." Tess said.

"So next time find a quieter way to wake me up." Pepper rubbed her eyes.

"Isn't that an oxymoron?" Tess asked. Pepper playfully slapped Tess' arm.

"Shut up!" Tess smiled and they went downstairs.

"Coffee?" Pepper asked.

"Yah! I love having coffee right after I wake up!" Tess said.

"You know, coffee stunts your growth." Pepper's dad said as he sipped his own coffee from the kitchen.

"Well it's not like I'm going to grow anymore anyways, so why would I care?" Pepper said. Her dad shrugged. Pepper handed Tess her cup of coffee, took a sip of her own and checked her phone. It had gone off because Tony had sent her a text.

_Coming over later? _It read.

_Yeah, just woke up. _Maybe_ in about an hour. _Pepper replied.

"Gee, let me guess…Tony wants you to come over?" Tess said. Pepper nodded.

"So predictable. You know, if he asks you every day to come over then he obviously loves to hang out with you." Tess said. Pepper's dad was driven away by girl talk, so went into his office and worked on his laptop.

"Possibly. We can go over later though." Pepper said. Tess nodded and turned on the TV.

"There's never anything on in the morning, I hope you realize that." Pepper said as she joined Tess on the couch.

"Pshh, yeah there is! We can watch some awesome kid's shows!" Tess said. Pepper laughed.

"Of course we can!" Pepper said enthusiastically. Tess flipped the channel.

"Kids shows are so obvious." Tess commented.

"I know, right?" Tess replied.

~…~

Tony, after showering, changing, brushing his teeth and hair, went to the armory to work on the damage more.

"Tony, can't you give this a break? You've been working non-stop every chance you get ever since the temple." Rhodey complained.

"No." Tony answered simply, without looking up.

"You know, you're going to get a hunchback if you don't stop." Rhodey commented. Tony stood straight and stretched his back for a few minutes, then went back to work. Rhodey rolled his eyes at Tony's arrogance.

"You're going to work yourself to death someday, Tony, I swear…" Rhodey nagged.

"I don't think I'll let that happen, now, mom." Tony teased.

"Seriously, Tony. If you don't give it a break once in a while then you won't get anywhere. It'll only make things worse for you if you bottle up your emotions like that." Rhodey said.

"You know what? If it'll get you to stop nagging me, then I'll take a break." Tony put down his wrench.

"Thank you." They started walking out of the armory.

"You know, I should just start calling you mom now." Tony teased as they walked out the armory door.

**Yeah, that was just kind of a switching-viewpoints chapter. Kind of a filler, in some ways, I guess? Still cool. Review!**


	6. What They're Hiding

**Hey guys! TGIF, right hurr. Doing some updating tonight. Idk what else I'm going to get done for IMAA other than this, besides maybe some more one-shots because I have ideas I need to write down so I can clear them and make more room in the attic, ya know? So, that's what's up! Anywaysss….**

As Tess and Pepper walked inside the armory, chatting about different things, they came to the area in the factory where the famous three chairs and a radio/TV set sat. There was no one else sitting there, and since Tony had texted Pepper saying he was in the armory, she was assuming he was still in the armory as of this moment. She sighed.

"Hang on, Tess. I have to go get Tony. Just sit and chill for a few minutes." Pepper said, sitting Tess in a chair. Tess wondered where Pepper was going, and where Tony was anyways, but decided to leave it….for now. She'd do some sneaking later.

Pepper came to the key-coded door and pressed the buttons that unlocked and opened the door. After the door slid open, Pepper casually strode inside and looked around for Tony.

"Tony? You in here?" Pepper spoke up. She spotted him working on his armor; like usual. He was working harder than he needed lately, and Pepper knew why. She knew him too well _not _to know.

"Yeah, why?" Tony announced, not looking up from his work.

"Gee, I don't know…my best friend is visiting me for the week…she has to go everywhere I go…she's my best friend…no reason, none at all." Pepper said sarcastically. Tony smirked.

"Whatever. You know I knew that." Tony said. Pepper smiled. **(A/N: ok, literally RIGHT when I was typing 'smiled' right there, the song 'Smile' by Uncle Kracker was playing and the line 'you make me smile' was playing. Epic timing.)**

"Sure, Tony. Sure you did." Pepper teased. Tony put down his wrench and walked out after Pepper. Pepper rejoined Tess and sat in the chair next to her.

"Where was he?" Tess asked curiously.

"Oh, he was, uhhh…somewhere in the back, I have no clue why. So don't ask." Pepper made up a quick lie. Tess wasn't dumb; something was definitely back there, and there was something Pepper wasn't telling her. But the real question on her mind was…._why did she just lie to me?_

Tess decided to let it go for now. She'd come back to it later. For now, they were hanging out.

"So, how do you like the city so far?" Tony asked as he approached the two and took his own seat.

"It's exciting! It's so big here; I don't know how you guys can manage living here!" Tess said enthusiastically.

"Well, it's not that hard considering I've lived here my whole life." Tony explained.

"You get used to it after two years." Pepper shrugged as she explained.

"I guess so, right?" Tess said.

"How much longer are you and your mom going to be here?" Tony asked.

"We're leaving tomorrow afternoon, actually. So I'm trying to make the most of the time I have left." Tess explained.

"Oh. Well that stinks, right?" Tony smiled. Pepper was angered that he'd said that; it wasn't that he wasn't allowed to be nice to her, it was just that that was being a little _too _nice. _That stinks_? He could've said something that didn't intend he liked Tess; which she prayed to _god _he didn't, at least more than a friend. Pepper whipped out her phone and composed a text message.

_Tony, you don't have to be that nice to her! That's kind of implying you __like __her. _Pepper sent the message and put her phone in her lap. Tony felt his phone go off and held a finger up as if to say 'hang on'. He opened the message and quickly read it.

_Why, that sounded a little jealous, Pepper. _Tony sent it and went back to their conversation.

_It wasn't a sound, now was it?_ Pepper texted back.

_Whatever, you know what I mean. It seemed jealous to me._ Tony looked at her as she texted back. Pepper sent her message and their conversation went on for a few minutes. Then Tony remembered something.

**(A/N: k, switching to Tess' POV.)**

"Oh, shoot. I forgot to do something over there, I'll be right back." Tony said quickly as he stood and walked towards the armory. I was curious again. Where was he going, and what could he possibly have to do? I watched as Pepper followed away, wondering what it was that he'd forgotten. I, being the 'curious cat' of the 'curiosity kills the cat' situation, secretly followed them. I removed my noisy shoes from my feet, carried them in my hand, and carefully and quietly tiptoed behind them to see that they came to a large, metal, key-coded door. I gasped. It was huge…what was behind that door?

"Tony, what's possibly so important that you have to just get to it immediately?" Pepper asked.

"I left the armor out when I left. I need to put it away." Tony explained. The armor? What armor? What's behind that large door?

Tony punched four numbered buttons and the large door slid up and open. They walked inside. I quickly ran in behind them before the door closed and hid against the wall. I looked around. It was huge in here! There was a large computer screen, some room over in the far corner, a high ceiling and…

Sitting in the middle of everything, there it was. _Iron Man himself!_ I noticed the suit of armor lying on the table. My jaw fell to the ground in shock. What was he doing with the Iron Man armor? Was he really…?

"Why is it so mandatory that you put it away?" I heard Pepper ask.

"Because, if I don't then first of all, it'd make the lab a bit sloppy and second of all, there's just no need to leave it out if I'm not going to come back to it." Tony explained. Pepper nodded with a creased eyebrow. I was coming to the obvious conclusion that…

"You're Iron Man!" I blurted out, blowing my cover entirely. Shocked, I saw Tony and Pepper search for the voice that had shouted the obvious truth. They spotted me hiding in the dark corner by the lab door. I slid to the floor, covering my loud mouth with both my hands.

"Oops…" I muttered.

"TESS? What are you doing in here? How did you get in here?" Pepper asked. Tony was too busy rushing to hide the armor from me.

"I…" I started to say. I sighed. "I followed you guys in here. I wanted to see where you were going so badly!" I explained. Pepper sighed.

"How could I not have realized you were following us?" she asked to no one in particular.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to bite off more than I can chew, really! I was just so curious!" I pleaded forgiveness.

"Tess, that's crazy talk. I was just trying to recreate the Iron Man armor based on what I've seen on the news. This is just my lab." Tony said.

"No, that's the real Iron Man armor! It's kind of obvious," I stood from the corner and walked over to them, "First of all, you're the only person smart enough to possibly invent such a thing, because the only other person that could was your dad, but he's…well, you know…" I didn't want to bring it up. He was probably still trying to get over it.

"And secondly, you guys have the same voice! Obvious enough?" I explained.

"Tess, you have to _swear on your life _you won't tell anyone! This is a huge secret, no one else can know. Please." Pepper pleaded with me. I raised my hand and placed my hand on my heart.

"I promise, I won't tell. Your secret is safe with me." I said. They sighed.

"Now if only I could wipe your memory…" Tony said. Pepper rolled her eyes.

**Shocking, right? IK! It was pretty damn exciting. I was all, WOOHHHH O.O review!**


	7. Tess is Leaving Today

**Hey! Sorry it's been so long, my computer got a virus…boohoo D: but it should be working fine now, cuz we caught the virus in the nick of time. OH, btw, sorry for last chapter being so short. I thought it'd be longer than that…my bad! Now, let's see what happens!**

"Well, this is it I guess. Last time I'll ever see you, until summer!" Tess sighed as she plopped her suitcase on the floor by her feet. She couldn't believe how fast that week had gone by; she'd certainly made the most of it yesterday, too.

"Yeah, it stinks. Especially since you just found out that huge secret yesterday…" Pepper said.

"Oh, that reminds me! I have to go say goodbye to Tony!" Tess said. Pepper sighed. She just _had _to say goodbye to him, didn't she?

"Well he's most likely in his lab now. We still have time." Pepper sighed. She really didn't want to have to do this, but if it was going to make Tess happy then she had no choice. They headed out the door.

"Dad, we're going to go over to Tony's so Tess can say goodbye to him. Be back in like, 10 or 20 minutes." Pepper yelled into the house as she shut the door.

"I still can't believe you're even friends with him! I mean, what are the chances of him ever meeting you? Apparently good chances, because you guys totally _like _each other!" Pepper stopped in her tracks.

"What?" Pepper asked. Tess stopped and turned.

"You know you like him, Pattie. And I know he likes you too." Tess smiled. Pepper stopped in her tracks.

"What?" She asked.

"Come on, isn't it obvious? He so likes you! And you flirt with him almost all the time!" Tess explained.

"I do not!" Pepper defended.

"Do too times infinity, I win!" Tess said. Pepper sighed.

"That's something little kids do, Tess." Pepper rolled her eyes and they continued walking.

"So what? I'm still a kid inside. Get over it." Tess said. Pepper laughed.

"Oh, you sure are." Pepper smiled.

A little bit later, they came to the armory door and Pepper punched in the four-number code to open it. They waited a moment for it to slide open, and when it did, they walked inside.

"Tony, Tess is leaving today and wanted to come by and say hello." Pepper snarled, but just enough of it in her voice for it to be hard to detect.

"Oh, cool." Tony put down his welding torch beside the leg of the arctic armor and walked over to Tess. He smiled nicely. Pepper looked down at her shoes, crossed her arms and sneered. She hated how nice he was being to her. Almost _too much nicer_ than was necessary.

"I hope you and your mom had a good time in New York. It was nice to meet you." Tony held out his hand. She took it, and as was intended, shook it. **(A/N: from earlier, Pattie is supposed to be Pepper. For now, haha that rhymes!) **

"Nice meeting you too, Tony! I mean, really, meeting a celeb? Awesome!" Tess squealed. Tony chuckled.

"I don't know if I'd consider myself a celebrity, but still, it was a nice thought." Tony said. Pepper frowned. This needed to end. She pulled out her phone quickly to check the time. It was close enough to noon to make an excuse to leave.

"Oh, look at the time…it's almost 12:30, Tess we'd better go! Alright, bye Tony, Tony says goodbye to Tess, we're all good, _let's go!_" Pepper started to push Tess towards the door. Tess looked back at Tony and waved.

"Uhh, okay, bye then?" Tony went back to his work. As Pepper walked Tess out the door, she heard Tony _pssstt_ to her attention. She turned her head to see him waving her over. Pepper stopped walking.

"One sec. You can start heading out, I'll be right there." Pepper walked over to Tony. Tess shrugged and pretended to walk out, but instead hid so she could eavesdrop on their conversation. She was overly curious.

"What?" Pepper asked.

"What's with your weird behavior this week? You don't normally act this way. Is something wrong?" Tony asked, confused and curious.

"Weird? No, I'm not acting weird this week. I'm perfectly fine, no problems at all." Pepper lied.

"No, really. What's wrong?" Tony asked. Pepper sighed.

"You really want to know?" Pepper asked. Tony nodded.

"NO, you really don't. So we're all good here, I can go now, ok see you later Tony bye!" Pepper turned away, but before she could walk away Tony grabbed her arm and turned her back to him.

"Really, what's up?" Tony asked.

"Alright, alright, I'll tell you," Pepper rubbed her arm shyly.

"The truth is…I…was bothered with the noise that was going on in the apartment next door to mine, its been going on, like, all week now!" Pepper lied. Tony gave her a 'no, really' glare. Pepper sighed.

"Alright, alright! I was annoyed that you were being overly nice to Tess and she was flirting right back at you." Pepper admitted.

"Overly nice?" Tony laughed softly. "No, I was just trying to make a good impression because she's your best friend. If she's important to you, she's important to me. And I hadn't noticed she was flirting…" Tony explained. Pepper rolled her eyes. She knew he never noticed when a girl was flirting with him. Not even with Witch-ney, as Pepper called her. Pepper smiled.

"That's so sweet, Tony!" Pepper smiled.

"Yeah. But why would that annoy you?" Tony asked. Pepper blushed madly.

"No reason…" hey, it wasn't a complete lie. Just a white lie.

"No, really, just tell me." Tony said.

"No!" Pepper refused. Tony put his hands on his hips.

"Do I have to tickle it out of you?" Tony asked. He knew all her ticklish spots quite well. Pepper crossed her arms and didn't say anything. Tony smiled and raised his arms towards her tummy. Pepper dropped her arms to her side and backed away slowly. She knew he was going to. She shook her head in refusal.

"Don't you dare, Anthony Edward Stark, tickle me!" Pepper warned.

"Whacha gonna do? Tell me and I won't tickle you. That's all it takes." Tony smiled deviously.

"I'm not telling you!" Pepper smirked. Tony lunged at her and rapidly tickled her sides. They fell to the floor, Pepper rolling over in laughter.

"I'll-haha, never…crack!" Pepper said in between laughing. Tony's smile widened.

"I know you will eventually!" He said as he tickled her more. Tess smiled from her hiding spot.

"Stop, tickling, me!" Pepper demanded.

"Tell me why!" Tony said.

"No!" Tony increased his tickling. Pepper was laughing so hard she could hardly breathe.

"OK, it's-because-I-kinda-like-you-!" Tony immediately stopped tickling her. Pepper lay on the floor as Tony still kneeled over her. It grew quiet fast. Tony stared at her deeply. Pepper heavily breathed to catch her breath.

"You do?" Tony asked, finally. Pepper nodded. The silence continued for a while.

"Well, I kinda like you too…" Tony finally spoke. Pepper smiled.

"Really?" She almost whispered. Tony nodded. He backed away from Pepper, stood, and held out his hand to her. She took it and stood. They stared into each other's eyes in silence. Finally, Tony leaned in and kissed her. Tess, still hiding in the corner, smiled widely. She knew it was inevitable. They stood for a long while, then finally Pepper spoke up.

"Well, I should really get going, Tess has to go. She's probably halfway home by now." Pepper said. Tony looked around and spotted a shadow in the far corner.

"Or in that corner over there." Tony said. Tess cursed her terrible hiding spots under her breath and waved.

"Tess!" Pepper rolled her eyes. "Alright, see you later Tony." Pepper let go of Tony's hand and walked out with Tess.

**Well, that's all for now. Epilogue in the near future, so chill cuz that wasn't the end. Tee heee it was so cute! Anyways, review!**


	8. Epilouge

**Hey guys! Doing some updating tonight. I'll have to see what else I have to do, besides getting a bunch of other one-shot or otherwise ideas out there so I can build on them and stuff. So here we go.**

Tess and Pepper arrived at the airport along with Pepper's dad and Tess' mom.

"Wow, Pepper, I loved visiting you in the big city! Your new life is so great. Your new boyfriend is a famous, genius billionaire inventor who's also Iron Man!" Tess said so no one but her and Pepper would hear.

"Tess, it's any other normal life of any other normal teenager," Pepper paused for a moment, "just with a few little differences here and there involving a metal man." Pepper said.

"Well, I had lots of fun with you and your friends this week, Pepper." Tess said sadly. It was hard to have to part again.

"It was fun having you. Thanks for visiting." Pepper sighed.

"Well, time to catch our plane, Tess. We have to go." Tess' mother explained.

"Bye Pattie." Tess said glumly.

"Please, it's Pepper now. I hate Pattie, and Trishie, and Pat, or whatever else." Pepper explained.

"Fine. Bye _Pepper_." Tess corrected.

"Thank you. Bye Tess," Pepper gave Tess a large hug. Tess picked up her bags and walked to security check with her mother. Pepper waved as she watched them disappear.

"Well, pumpkin, it's time for us to split too. Let's get home, okay?" Virgil said, patting his daughter on the back. Pepper nodded and started walking to catch a cab home.

After a ride home, Virgil went to work and Pepper went back to see Tony.

"Tony, I'm back from the airport." Pepper called into the armory. She found Tony working on fixing his exploded armor.

"Cool. Did they get to their flight okay?" Tony asked as he walked up to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure." Pepper said.

"You know, you didn't have to be worried about me and Tess being a thing." Tony said after a short silence.

"What?" Pepper asked in confusion.

"I would've chose you over anyone in the world." Tony explained. Pepper smiled.

"You would?" Pepper asked. Tony nodded.

"Sure would. You're my girl now, right?" Tony said.

"Are we…you know, now?" Pepper asked.

"Only if you want it." Tony said with a smile.

"Of course I do."

"Then yes, we are." Pepper smiled and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Now, I love you, but I have to get back to working on the armor." Tony winked. Pepper giggled.

"Oh, I love you too."

**And on that note, I will have to end this wonderfully fluffy epilogue for two reasons: one, it's my bedtime. Two: it seemed like a good place to stop for an epilogue. Review!**


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